Various types of snowplough blades with adjustable breadth are known to experts in the sector, and substantially comprise a fixed blade body, hinged on a support and raising structure. This structure is provided with dampers destined to absorb the impacts of the blade during its advancement, and is fixed to the front part of the vehicle.
The blade body is further provided, in the lower part thereof, with a flexible cutter operating in contact with the ground. The cutter is mounted on the blade body with the interposing of damped attachment organs, and is destined to absorb impacts against obstacles or bumps on the road surface. An extension is mounted at an end of the blade body, hinged on the side of the blade body and destined to be opened and closed book-fashion, in order to increase or reduce the breadth of the blade.
In a further regulation mode, an extension of the blade itself is mounted in the posterior part of the blade body, which blade is slidable with respect to the fixed blade body in a substantially parallel direction to the extension of the fixed blade body.
The extension is made mobile by suitable actuators, generally hydraulic jacks, between a closed position, in which it retracts substantially completely into the area of the fixed blade body, and an open position, in which it extends beyond the blade body, in order to increase the breadth of the operating front of the snowplough blade.
The prior art comprises left-side or right-side extensions of the fixed blade body. Each of the configurations facilitates the removal operations, especially in certain conditions. In particular, a left-side extension enables the snowplough machine to cope with varied lane widths, while a right-side extension is useful for removing snow from the recesses in the lane itself, though while keeping the left side of the pathway cleared by the machine straight.
However, as the transversal positioning of the blade body with respect to the advancement direction of the vehicle is fixed, the above-cited configurations do not lead to optimal versatility, as they tend anyhow to unbalance the working front of the snowplough blade.
An aim of the present invention is to provide an extensible snowplough blade which can obviate the above-described drawbacks.
A further aim of the invention is to provide an extensible snowplough blade having an adjustable trim according to the transversal extension thereof.